Just a Hallucination
by Midna Azusa
Summary: After graduation, some of Judai's friends seem to have gone a little crazy. What's the deal? Can Judai fix the problem, or will he get himself in trouble trying? WARNING: spoilers, possible OOC
1. The Second Judai

**Well, since the overall reception of mine and Shadgirl2's first fic was positive, I figured I'd post that other one she and I wrote! I honestly have no idea how this one got started; Shadgirl2 just told me she wanted to write something about after graduation, and we sat down, and this is what happened. The plot, technically, belongs to her, but I changed it some with the parts that I wrote. Shadgirl2 didn't say exactly where this was going, so I was playing it by ear. Like last time, I'm cleaning it up, and there may be OOCness. Oh, and spoilers are a definite. I wasn't sure about the genre, so...yeah, that's open to debate. Anyway, enjoy! Shadgirl2 and I don't own Yugioh G****X.**

Manjoume walked quickly through Rio de Janeiro, glaring down every street he passed. His target had to be around here somewhere, and Manjoume was determined to find the guy before he could leave town again!

Manjoume was a successful Pro Duelist, but you wouldn't know it from looking at him now. His clothes were tattered, his black hair wasn't combed, and, frankly, he could use a bath. Honestly, Manjoume probably should have cleaned up first, but he didn't want to risk his target getting away again. He had been following this guy around the world, trying to catch up with him and always arriving at the moment the guy left the country. Then he had to track his cell phone and find out where he was now and fly off to that country. Really, it wasn't easy catching this guy.

Finally, Manjoume saw who he was looking for. "There you are!" he said, storming up to the man. "I've been looking all over for you, Judai! It's been two years since we dueled last!"

Yes, Manjoume had been desperately searching for Judai for the sole purpose of attempting, yet again, to defeat him in a children's card game. So far, he was 0 for eight—he hadn't won a single duel against his rival.

"Huh?" the brunette turned. Compared to Manjoume, he was looking great: his black shirt, blue jeans, and red jacket looked brand new when compared to Manjoume's clothes. The sad part was Judai traveled the world—he didn't really have a home, whereas Manjoume was filthy rich and had houses in five different countries. "Oh, hey, Manjoume! How's it going?"

"A lot better if you would stay in one place for more than three minutes, you idiot!" Manjoume snapped. "Do you know how much trouble I went through just to find you!?" As an afterthought, he added, "By the way, you better call the Kaiser."

Judai cocked his head. "Huh? Why?"

"Something's seriously wrong with Sho," Manjoume said casually. "But I didn't come all this way just to tell you that! Duel me! I'm gonna make you pay for everything you did at Duel Academy! And those duels we had in the first two years after graduation! You made me look bad! Repeatedly!"

It had been four years since graduation, and Manjoume still wouldn't let all his losses at Duel Academy drop, which just led to more losses for the Pro that he wouldn't let drop; it was an endless cycle.

"Hold on a sec, Manjoume," Judai said, pulling out his phone to call Kaiser Ryo Marufuji. He wasn't really a king or anything, but everyone called him "Kaiser." It was his nickname at Duel Academy, and it was his Pro name now. Manjoume gritted his teeth.

"Well, hurry up! I've got another appointment to get to!" Which begs the question: Would he have skipped that appointment if he hadn't found Judai at that moment? Or will he if he can't duel Judai right now?

"Hello?" Ryo's voice answered on the other end of the line.

"Hey, it's Judai. Manjoume said I should call you. Is Sho all right?"

"That depends on your definition of 'all right,'" Ryo answered cryptically.

Worried, Judai asked, "What do you mean? What's going on?"

"Well, Sho's fine, physically. But, lately, he seems to think he's you for some reason. He talks like you, acts like you, and I think he even thinks like you. Every time I ask him why, though, he shrugs it off and claims he's fine, the same way you would. I don't know what to do."

Stunned, Judai took a moment to answer. "Uh...where are you? Maybe I can stop by and see what's up."

"Domino City," Ryo answered. "There's a title match today between Johan and Sho."

Off to the side, Manjoume scowled. "The idiot isn't even paying attention to our duels. Sheesh!"

"Hey, I resent that," Judai said to Manjoume. "Anyway," he continued into the phone, "I'll be there as soon as I can." Judai put his phone away and ran off to see about getting a ride to Domino, totally forgetting about the rich man who wanted a duel with him.

"Hey! Where do you think you're going!? Get back here and duel!" Manjoume yelled angrily.

"Sorry, Manjoume!" Judai called over his shoulder. "I gotta go check on Sho!"

"Sho's fine for now! So what if he's been acting a little weird!? It's not like he's dying or something!" Taking a step forward, Manjoume continued, "Come on! I got kidnapped twice while looking for you!"

Judai only heard half of that before he was out of earshot.

"Hey! Are you listening!? Hey!" Manjoume bellowed.

Irritated, Manjoume ran after Judai, hell-bent on getting that duel.

* * *

Meanwhile, in Domino City, Johan was standing before his opponent, really wishing that it was actually the person he was told it was and not a replica of his best friend. Sho was wearing his old Slifer Red jacket, black jeans, and a black turtleneck shirt, just like Judai had been the last time they'd seen him. It was a little unnerving, really, especially since Sho kept talking like Judai. Heck, the deck wasn't even Sho's!

"Sho, this isn't like you," Johan said. "Why are you doing this?"

Sho cocked his head, giving a very Judai-esque look. "Huh? What do you mean, Johan?" he asked, his tone reminiscent of their old friend.

"Sho! You're starting to freak me out! Quit it already! I thought you were all about respect, not fun!"

"But duels are supposed to be fun," Sho said, rubbing the back of his head. "You know that, Johan."

Feeling that his friend had completely lost his marbles, Johan said, "Sho, please remember! You're the one who always says it's important to respect your opponents! Judai thought that duels were just fun! Snap out of it already!"

"I don't know what you're talking about, Johan. I'm fine. Really," Sho said, smiling. "Let's have a fun duel!"

Johan was sweating now—Sho had definitely gone totally insane. What other explanation was there?

* * *

A helicopter landed outside the duel arena—when you're rich, you can land your chopper wherever the hell you please. Manjoume and Judai climbed out. "You owe me a duel for this," Manjoume said to Judai.

"Thanks, Manjoume!" Judai said, charging into the building and leaving Manjoume behind.

As Judai ran down the hall, he heard a familiar voice. "Judai!? Is that really you!?"

Turning, Judai saw Hayato, Jim, and O'Brien.

"Great!" Jim said. "We sure could use some help with this one, right, mate?" He turned to O'Brien for confirmation. O'Brien nodded.

Judai walked over to the three of them. "Hey, guys," he said. "Hayato, O'Brien, what are you doing here?"

"Jim said there was a problem with Sho, and he wanted me to investigate," O'Brien said.

Jim nodded. "That's right. Sho has had all of us worried recently. Even Ed's here somewhere, and he had a match in Canada today!"

"I was worried, too, so I came to help. What's gotten into Sho, anyway?" Hayato asked.

"That's what I'm here to find out! Where is he?"

Manjoume stormed in. "Judai!" he complained. "Isn't it a bit rude to leave me, Manjoume Thunder, behind all the time!? Anyway, the match should have started by now."

"So he's dueling Johan?" Judai asked. His two best friends dueling each other in a title match... That sounded interesting. _Wonder who's going to win..._

Jim nodded. "That's why we're waiting here. We can't interrupt the match."

At that moment, Johan came out of the arena, looking glum. "Oh, man. He got me good! But now what? He still thinks he's Ju—" Spotting Judai, Johan said, "Judai!? Oh, wow! Am I glad to see you!"

"Hey, Johan!" Judai grinned at his friend. "So, Sho beat you?" Judai wasn't surprised—Sho was a good duelist. He just needed to have more confidence in himself.

"Well, I wouldn't say Sho did!" Johan said.

"Huh?"

"More like his _Elemental Hero Shining Phoenix Guy_ did!" Johan said, putting heavy emphasis on the name of the monster.

Ed walked up behind the group. "Sho just isn't himself these days. His signature card is Elemental Hero Terra Firma," Ed said.

"_What!?_" Judai asked, eyes wide. "What happened to his roids? Since when does he use Elemental Heroes?"

Johan answered, "Since he started this act last year!"

"Yeah," Jim said with a nod. "What's worse is he started calling some kid who looks up to him his little brother! Then he taught him to respect his opponents and duel with a roid-cyber deck! That kid calls him 'Aniki' now."

Judai just stared at them. There was no way they could be serious. If Sho was doing that, wouldn't somebody have stuck him in the nut house? Or called Judai sooner? Or both?

"Judai," Ryo said, coming over. "Can you please talk to Sho? I'll take you right to him."

Still stunned, Judai nodded. "Yeah, I'll talk to him. He's acting like..." Honestly, Judai didn't want to finish that sentence. It was way too weird.


	2. Has Everyone Gone Crazy?

**New chapter! Alright! Duel spirits talking is in italics. I don't own Yugioh GX.**

Sho was heading back to his hotel when Judai and Ryo caught up with him.

"Hey, Sho!" Judai called, running to catch up with his friend.

Sho turned. "Huh? That voice. It couldn't be... Judai!?" Silently, he amended, _No, Aniki!_

Judai slowed down when he was near, saying, "Hey, Sho. How's it going?"

With tears in his eyes, Sho said, "Aniki, you came! ANIKI!" He pounced Judai in a hug. "I'm so glad! It's been so long!"

"Yeah, I know. So, you beat Johan in that title match! Congrats! But since when do you use Elemental Heroes?"

Ryo, still standing some distance away, decided that his work here was done. "Well, I'll leave this to you," he said as he walked away.

"Aniki, I've missed you so much!" Sho said. "I—I couldn't stop thinking about you. All I wanted was to see you again! So, I thought, maybe if I acted like you, I could be with you forever!"

Judai didn't say anything, feeling very much disturbed by his friend's burst of emotion. In his head, Yubel was complaining about Sho being a lunatic.

_You're one to talk, you know_, Judai told her teasingly.

"_Oh, shut up and deal with this idiot,"_ Yubel retorted.

Turning his attention back to Sho, Judai said, "Sho, uh..."

He didn't have a chance to figure out what he was about to say before Sho went on, "That's why I threw away my dumb belief about respecting my opponents! Duels should be about fun, right!?"

Judai was really starting to think Sho was on something. "Uh, respecting your opponent is good, too, Sho," he said. "You can respect your opponents and still have fun."

That was when Judai realized that fun versus respect wasn't the issue here—Sho's erratic behavior was.

"Look, Sho, you don't have to act like me to be with me," he said. "Actually, I don't really think that works." He rubbed the back of his head, feeling a little uncomfortable; this wasn't a conversation he ever imagined having. Then again, he hadn't imagined doing a lot of things that he had done in his life.

"Why not?" Sho asked. "Asuka pretends you're there all the time. It works for her! So why won't it work for me? She even talks to herself. Me? I thought that would be weird, so I decided to become you instead!"

"_Oh, yeah, because that's not weird at all," _Yubel muttered.

"Wait, what? What's Asuka doing?" Judai asked. Nobody had told him that Asuka had gone crazy, too! _Did _everyone_ go crazy in the last few years?_

Sho sighed. "Aniki, you still don't know? Sheesh! You're one dense guy!"

Judai cocked his head, not understanding how he was dense. "Uh, did she talk to herself at Duel Academy, too?" he asked.

"No, you doof!" Sho said. "Oh, well. I guess it doesn't really matter. All that matters is, in our hearts, you're with us this way. See? I even made an Elemental Hero deck of my own!" He handed his deck to Judai, who flipped through it and saw Elemental Heroes Ocean, Woodsman, Lady Heat, and all sorts of support cards for these cards.

"Sho," Judai said, "you don't have to act like me to have me with you in your heart. We're friends no matter how far apart we are."

"Aniki," Sho said, tearing up. "I-I guess you're right, but..."

Wondering why he didn't do this sooner, Judai pulls out his phone. "What's your number, Sho? We'll keep in touch, hang out when we can, maybe get together for holidays or something."

"Okay," Sho said before reciting his number, which Judai entered into his phone. "Promise you won't forget me?" he asked.

Wondering why Sho even felt the need to get such a promise, Judai answered, "I couldn't forget you, Sho. You're one of my best friends." Grinning, he added, "Promise you'll stop acting like me?"

"Okay," Sho said, smiling.

With that established, Judai decided to move on to another pressing issue. "So, what's Asuka doing?"

Before Sho could say anything, Fubuki popped up right between the two of them. "I thought you'd never ask!"

Judai and Sho both jumped backward, screaming in shock.

"Fubuki!? What are you doing here!?" Sho demanded. "You scared me!"

"_You, too, right, Judai?"_ Yubel taunted.

_Be quiet, Yubel,_ Judai thought.

"Didn't you know I had a date here today?" Fubuki said as if this was the most obvious thing in the world and totally justified him popping up in front of them when they were nowhere near any place you should take your girlfriend. "Anyway, about Asuka..." He cleared his throat and glared at Judai. "I hope you're happy! Cause you really went and did it this time!"

Genuinely perplexed, Judai asked, "What did I do?"

"Forget it," Sho said. "You're wasting your breath. He's too dense to ever understand..."

Dramatically, Fubuki said, "My poor, sweet sister! Every night, she cries herself to sleep! Just thinking about it makes me cry, too! Oh, Judai! How could you be so cruel!?" With the last line, Fubuki dropped to his knees.

Thinking of Dark World, Judai asked, "What? What did I do this time?"

"Exactly!" said the drama king. "You don't know, so you'll _never_ understand! You don't know the heart of a woman!"

Judai stares at him, although he thinks he's starting to understand what Fubuki's getting at.

Tired of waiting for him to get it, Yubel said, _"She loves you, you idiot! Not that I approve."_

Fubuki was crying fountain tears now, being just as dramatic as he could. "My poor sister!"

Sho looked at him, wondering why he had to be so dramatic. "Fubuki..."

With Yubel feeding him the words, Judai said, "Whoa, wait a minute! So, she's upset because I left and she never told me how she felt?" Judai didn't think that this could be the case, but Yubel had said he should ask, just to be safe.

Fubuki, still crying on the ground, didn't answer.

"I guess that's a yes," Judai said, slightly stunned. "Fubuki! Where's Asuka right now?"

After all, if she was upset because of him, he had to find her and make it right, didn't he?

When Fubuki didn't answer—because he was still bawling like a baby—Sho said, "Where else? She just became a teacher at Duel Academy. It was her dream, after all."

"So she's done studying abroad?"

"_Well, it is possible to graduate college in only three years. Though not for you, Judai."_

_Very funny, Yubel._

"Thanks, Sho! I'm gonna go talk to her," Judai said, running off to find a ride to the island.

"Wait! I'll go with you!" Sho called, not wanting to let Judai out of his sight so soon. He ran off after his friend.

Finally, Fubuki stopped sobbing long enough to acknowledge the two. With a sniff, he said, "Good luck, you two..."

* * *

Later, Judai and Sho were trying to convince Manjoume to give them a ride to Duel Academy, seeing as he already had a helicopter right there.

"Oh, no, you don't!" Manjoume said. "I'm not doing you any more favors until you duel me!"

"But, Manjoume! It's Asuka! She's depressed! Maybe seeing you will cheer her up, Thunder," Judai said, trying to convince him to help them without a duel. After all, they didn't really have time if Asuka was upset.

It seemed to work. Manjoume was quiet for a moment before saying, "Tenjoin-kun... Okay! I'll do it! Hold on, Tenjoin-kun! I, Manjoume Thunder, will save you from the dark pits of despair with my brightly shining love!"

"_Aniki's at it again,"_ Ojama Yellow said.

Ojama Black responded with, _"What shining feelings? I thought he was Black Thunder."_

"_Maybe he's just trying to sound impressive,"_ Ojama Green reasoned.

"Shut up!" Manjoume yelled out of nowhere in the eyes of most observers. "You trash just don't get it! Now get lost!"

The Ojamas screamed and disappeared. Then again, only Manjoume and Judai had seen them in the first place, so not many people noticed this—most just thought Manjoume was crazy.

Manjoume pushed through Judai and Sho as he ran to his helicopter. "Okay, you two! Let's go! Tenjoin-kun isn't going to save herself! Hurry up or you can't come with me!"

"Hey!" Sho called. "We asked _you_ to help _us_ get there, remember? Sheesh!"

He and Judai ran after Manjoume.

**Review please!**


	3. The Hallucination

**Okay! Here's the third chapter! Enjoy! Shadgirl2 and I don't own Yugioh GX.**

"And, so, I was wondering if you would like to have dinner with me tonight," Kanda asked. He had become a teacher at Duel Academy after graduation, just like Asuka, which was perfect since he still had a crush on her.

Asuka thought about it for a moment. "Sure, why not?" she said, shrugging.

While she may not have had any feelings for this man, she knew that it was pointless to keep waiting around for Judai. _This is all for the best,_ she thought. _He's long gone now, so I should just move on._

An image of him striking his signature pose flashed in her mind.

_But I just can't! Why didn't I tell him!? I brag about being strong, but I was too weak to tell him how I feel..._

Sighing, she walked down the hallway; she had a class she should be teaching right now.

* * *

School was out for the day—not that it mattered much to Tyranno Kenzan Sitting on the pier, fishing, like he did when he was still a student at Duel Academy, he was the first one to see the helicopter—and the arrival of their unexpected guests.

"Aniki!?" Kenzan asked, seeing Judai come out of the helicopter, followed by Sho and Manjoume. "Marufuji-senpai!? Manjoume-senpai!? What are you guys doing here!?"

Judai looked at the dino duelist questioningly. "Kenzan, I was going to ask _you_ that. Shouldn't you have graduated by now?" After all, it had been a few years; Kenzan was only a year away from graduation when last Judai saw him.

"I did!" Kenzan said, still not sure why these three were here. "But I decided to stay here as a researcher so that Professor Cronos wouldn't go nuts again like he did your last year. Of course, Asuka-senpai's here now, so I'm thinking of joining the Pro League!"

Judai blinked. "Cronos really can't stand it when his students graduate anymore, can he?"

"That guy's too sentimental..." Sho sighed.

Manjoume crossed his arms. "He's a real idiot..."

Kenzan rubbed the back of his head, smiling as he said, "Nah, it's just me he couldn't stand loosing." He looked around at the three. "Anyway, what brings you three here?"

"We're here to see Asuka," Judai answered. "Fubuki told me she's really depressed.

"_He also said it's your fault,"_ Yubel told Judai, who chose to ignore this rude statement.

"I don't know about depressed, but she has been acting kinda weird..."

Kenzan probably shouldn't have said this with Manjoume in the area; Manjoume got up in his face and demanded, "Weird!? What do you mean!? How weird!?"

A little nervous, Kenzan stepped back, saying, "W-well, she talks to herself a lot these days, and she argues with herself when she thinks nobody's around to hear it."

"She's arguing with herself?" Judai asked, stunned. He looked at Sho. "You said she was talking to herself, but _arguing_ with herself?"

"_A sure sign that you're crazy. Then again, it's worse if she's losing the arguments. Maybe you should ask if she is."_

_Again with the back-talk..._

"I-I didn't know that," Sho said, stunned.

"There's no time to waste!" Manjoume declared. "We have to find her fast! Kenzan! Where is she now!?"

"S-she's head of the Red Dorm, so she should be there!" he answered.

"Alright! Let's hurry!" Manjoume ran off toward the Red Dorm.

Running after him, Sho called, "Manjoume! Wait for us!"

"Thunder!" Manjoume corrected.

"Thanks, Kenzan!" Sho called back as Judai followed.

Yubel, meanwhile, was trying to figure out why a woman would be the dorm leader for the Red Dorm. _"Isn't that a boys' dorm, Judai? You don't suppose she misses you so much that she _had_ to move into your old dorm, do you?"_

_Cut it out already, Yubel,_ Judai said.

Yubel didn't listen. _"I wonder if she's in _your _old room."_

* * *

Meanwhile, at the Red Dorm, Asuka was getting ready for her date.

"Hmm. What should I wear?" she wondered, fingering through the clothes in her closet. _I wonder what Judai is doing right now..._

There was a knock on her door. _Huh?_ She turned. _That couldn't be him already. He's an hour early. _Grabbing a red dress, she called, "Just a minute! Don't come in!"

"Asuka?" Judai's voice called from the other side.

She froze. _That voice!_ she thought. _It couldn't be._

Thinking this was likely a prank of some sort, she called, "If this is a joke, Kenzan, I'm not amused! Now get out! I'm very busy!"

"Asuka, I don't sound anything like Kenzan!" Judai called. "Come on, open up."

"Shut up! I said 'I'm busy!' Now go away!"

Ignoring this, Judai opened the unlocked door. Asuka, half naked, threw a pillow at the door, wondering why she had neglected to lock it anyway.

"I said get out, you pervert!"

"Whoa! Asuka, don't throw things at people!" Judai said, standing in her doorway, completely naïve to the fact that he had walked in on something he should be embarrassed about.

It certainly _looked_ like Judai standing in her doorway—two-tone brown hair, brown eyes, and red jacket; but Asuka knew better than to trust her eyes at this point. She had been seeing Judai everywhere for awhile now, but he was never really there.

A familiar man with black hair and eyes, wearing all black, grabbed the brunette from behind, pulling him out and closing the door as he said, "Sorry, Tenjoin-kun!" Once the door was shut, Asuka heard him scolding the brunette on the other side. "You idiot! You don't just walk into a girl's room like that! She said she was busy and not to come in! Are you so dumb you don't know what that means!?"

The hallucination's voice answered, "She also called me 'Kenzan!' Asuka, come on, open up!"

Asuka opened the door, standing there looking furious. Her dress was strapless, with a sweetheart neckline. The skirt flowed down to her ankles. Manjoume and Sho blushed at the sight of her.

"You two," she said, clearly irritated. "What are you doing here? Manjoume, are you that big of a stalker that you had to drag Sho into it!? And how _dare_ you enter my room like that!"

Manjoume waved his hands frantically, saying, "No! It's not like that! I didn't go in, I swear!"

"Are you telling me that Sho did!? What a laugh! You're going to pay for that!"

Sensing trouble, Judai said, "Uh, Asuka, there's three of us, actually. And that was me." He rubbed the back of his head. "Sorry."

"Who said that!?" Asuka said, not even looking at Judai. It was like he was invisible or something.

Worried, Judai said, "Uh, Asuka, I'm standing right in front of you. Why are you acting so weird?"

Finally, she looked at him—but the way she looked at him said that she didn't want to see him. "Oh, well, well. Look who's here! Judai, you've got some nerve! How long has it been? Four years? Well, too bad! I don't have time for you right now! I've got a date! So get lost!"

"A-a date!?" Manjoume was clearly stunned. "Tenjoin-kun!"

Judai just stared at her—the way he was feeling right now could only be compared to the way he had felt when she had said that she had to live with his betrayal.

It took a moment for him to answer. "Okay, then. I'll get out of your way, then."

"Aniki!" Sho exclaimed.

"Why tell me this!?" Asuka demanded. "Last time, you left without saying anything!" She started crying as she added, "You didn't even say goodbye!"

Feeling about as guilty as he had back in Dark World, Judai said, "I'm sorry, Asuka."

"You should be!" she said. "How could you just leave like that!? After all we've been through! Maybe you have changed! But now I've changed too. I no longer care for you! In fact, I hate you, Judai! I want you out of my life!" Silently, she added, _If only so I can heal. Then maybe this illusion will finally go away..._

Her words cut like a knife. She had just told Judai, to his face, that she hated him. Hurt, Judai said, "If that's really how you feel..."

He never finished that sentence; Sho interrupted, "Asuka, if that's true, then why did your brother say you cry alone at night?"

"Shut up!" Asuka said defensively. "That all ends now! I'm putting the past behind me! I'm moving forward, no matter what the cost!"

_So, if hating him is the price, then I'll gladly do it!_

"You heard her earlier, Sho," Judai said his voice filled with pain. "She has to live forever with the sadness of having been betrayed by me. I can't say I blame her for hating me. It's not like I deserve her friendship after everything I've done."

Exasperated, Sho said, "Oh, don't start that again! Didn't we agree that wasn't your fault!?"

"Tenjoin-kun," Manjoume said, "It's okay. Come. You can cry on my shoulder."

"Just leave me alone! Everyone, leave me alone! I don't want to see _any_ of you! You ghosts from my past are not welcome in my future!" Having established that she wanted nothing to do with any of them, Asuka ran off in tears.

"Asuka, wait!" Judai called, running after her. Sure, she hated him, but he didn't want to see her crying, especially if she was going to run off on her own. Manjoume and Sho followed Judai, but they lost her.

"Well," Sho said sarcastically, "_that_ went well."

Judai gritted his teeth, closing his eyes. "Damn it! Why did I even come here in the first place? I just made things worse!" Silently, he added, _I sure have a knack for doing that..._

"_Don't be so hard on yourself, Judai,"_ Yubel said comfortingly. _"It's not your fault she's stubborn."_

Yubel may have been trying to help, but Judai wasn't in the mood for any more rude comments about him or his friends.

"Just SHUT UP, Yubel!" he screamed. Sho looked at him for a moment, slightly stunned (as he always is when Judai talks to spirits), but Manjoume chose to ignore this outburst.

"She hates us," he said. "Did you hear her? She said we were all unwanted ghosts from her past. Damn!" Manjoume was starting to think he would never get a date with Asuka.

Recovering from the shock of Judai's outburst, Sho said, "I don't think that's it. She may have said that, but I think it was all a ruse to mask how she really feels."

"Yeah, she only really hates me," Judai said dejectedly.

Sho shook his head, saying, "No, Aniki. She loves you. But she's afraid. Afraid that you aren't real. Afraid you'll disappear like last time. That's why she said all that! She can't believe that you're really here!"

Feeling that was a lie, Judai said, "Sho, let's make a promise not to tell each other what we want to hear and stick to the known facts, okay?"

"It's true! I can tell. It's just like what happened to me in Dark World! After everyone got sacrificed, I started believing that was what you wanted, Aniki—that you meant you would sacrifice everyone just to get Johan back. I went into denial. I tried to convince myself it wasn't true. Then I tried to forget you, even hate you. I tried to go off on my own, only thinking about myself. But no matter how much I willed myself to forget, no matter how much I tried to hate you, I couldn't. We had been friends for way too long, and you had done so much for me. The hatred was just me trying to escape this fact before the pain of losing you got me. I mean, since I thought you had changed, I thought I'd lost my aniki."

"But how do you know that's really what's going on, Sho?" Judai asked, looking at the blunette.

"The look in her eyes," Sho answered. "When she came out of her room, she glanced in your direction, then suddenly got mad at us. She completely ignored you. At that moment, I saw it. Her expression was filled with doubt and loneliness. That's just like me in Dark World! I know it! She wants to forget you so the pain will go away!"

Manjoume, clearly jealous, said, "I can't believe Tenjoin-kun feels this way because of you. How can you leaving her possibly hurt _this_ much!?"

His determination renewed, Judai said, "We've gotta find her, then! I'm not letting this friendship die just because I did something stupid after graduation!"

Glad that Judai was back to normal, Yubel said, _"You know, technically, she never told you how she felt, so you're both idiots. Hm, I take it back—you're perfect for each other."_

"She said she had a date, though," Sho said.

"So?" Judai said.

He didn't care if she had a date—he was on the verge of losing her friendship, and that was way more important than some random guy.

"He's right! We can't just let Tenjoin-kun go out with just anyone!" Manjoume said. "If what you said is true, Sho, then the sooner we find her—and I can't believe I'm saying this—the sooner those two can make up!"

"_Ah, Aniki,"_ Ojama Yellow said. _"You're so kind!"_

"_Yeah. I'm getting a bad feeling,"_ Ojama Black said.

Ojama Green nodded. _"Me, too."_

Ojama Yellow looked at his brothers and said, _"What are you talking about? He just wants Asuka to feel better! Why, it's just like him!"_

"Who asked you, you stupid zero-attacks!? Get lost!"

"I don't care who she dates," Judai said in response to Manjoume's comment about them making up, "but I don't want to lose a friend over stupid mistakes. If she still wants to date this guy, whatever. If she starts dating Manjoume, congratulations, Thunder. But I'm not letting this friendship die!" With that established, Judai ran off to find Asuka.

Sho looked at Manjoume and said, "Well, I guess we should split up and look for her then, right, Manjoume?"

Manjoume nodded, and the two of them ran off to search for Asuka.

* * *

Judai, running around the island, was running the risk of getting lost. That is, until he ran into a certain monkey he had met during his first year.

SAL looked at Judai, cocking his head, seemingly wondering what Judai was doing here. "Oki?"

"Hey, SAL!" Judai said, catching sight of the monkey. "Have you seen a blond girl in a red dress, probably with some guy in a suit or something?"

Hey, he figured he might as well ask. After all, he had dueled this monkey before.

"_You're talking to a monkey,"_ Yubel pointed out.

"Why not?" Judai muttered. "I talk to you, which makes people think I'm crazy."

SAL was scratching his head thoughtfully. Finally, he pointed toward the Blue Dorm.

That answer was good enough for Judai. "Thanks!" he said as he ran off to the Blue Dorm.

**For those who don't know (like I didn't) Kanda, the guy Asuka's dating, is the quiz guy from season 2. You know, the one Judai gave love advice to, thinking he was giving dueling advice.**


	4. In Need of Advice

**Okay, so, while I work out what to do with _my_ story, here's more from me and Shadgirl2, who never gets writer's block, apparently. Congratulations, sis! Anyway, enjoy! Shadgirl2 and I don't own Yugioh GX.**

_Well, there's no doubt about it,_ Asuka thought, looking back on the scene that had just played out at the Red Dorm. _I was totally rude back there. But if I don't forget about them, then I can never move on. Manjoume and Sho were too close to Judai, whether Manjoume liked it or not. The more I think of them, the more I'll think of him! Those illusions won't go away if I do that! So, I'll forget about those two and just enjoy my date with...uh, Nanda? Kokeno?_ She couldn't for the life of her remember this guy's name. _Whatever, I'll get it eventually._

Kanda, the man whose name Asuka kept forgetting, had invited her for a romantic dinner, which they were having at the Blue Dorm—he had somehow managed to turn the blue cafeteria into a fancy restaurant for the night, though even he wasn't sure how he had managed that one.

"Asuka," Kanda asked, "aren't you going to order?"

Asuka, startled from her thoughts, said, "Ah! Right."

That's when Judai arrived on the scene.

"Asuka, we need to talk, and I'm not leaving until we do!" He had been rehearsing that the entire time he had been looking for her, knowing she wasn't going to cooperate if she thought he was a hallucination.

"Say, Kodo? Did you hear something?" Asuka asked her date, not even glancing in Judai's direction.

Judai was getting frustrated. "Asuka, look at me!"

Kanda wasn't sure what was going on here; he didn't answer Asuka, who said, "Hmm, no? It must be the wind."

His patience wearing thin, Judai decided to take action to make his existence known—he grabbed her arm. "Asuka!"

Kanda sprung to action, jumping out of his seat. "Hey! What do you think you're doing to my Asuka muffin!?"

Asuka, on the other hand, was stunned. _I can feel that! Are the illusions getting worse? Or...?_

Ignoring Kanda, Judai continued, "Asuka, listen to me! It's me, it's Judai! I'm really here. I'm sorry. I never meant to hurt you. I was stupid back then and I shouldn't have run off like that! Look at me!" He said all of this very fast.

"Hey, let go!" Asuka finally said. "Who do you think you are!?" Silently, she added, _There's no way you're the real Judai!_ A hallucination—well, she could rule that out since she could feel him holding her. An imposter? Someone in costume? Yes, that had to be it.

"It's me, Asuka," Judai—or the Judai impostor—said, sounding desperate. "Really. What do I have to do to prove it?" As an afterthought, he added, "Besides walk in on you while you're getting dressed and interrupt your date. I mean, I've already done both of those, and it hasn't helped at all."

Kanda's slow reaction would likely go down in history as the worst defense by a boyfriend/date ever, but, at that moment, he grabbed Judai's arm, pulling him away from Asuka. "Speaking of which, how dare you do that to Asuka!? She said let go, so let go! I'm going to punish you for that!"

Asuka looked away, thinking, He_ walked in on me? It wasn't that perv Manjoume?_

Judai was not in the mood to deal with this guy right now. "What, you gonna duel me again, like last time? That didn't go so well for you, did it, Kanda?"

Slightly scared by Judai's tone, Kanda said, "N-no. I'm going to do the smart thing this time and turn you in for harassment!"

Completely oblivious to the scene playing out behind her, Asuka thought, _Judai, are you really here?_

Judai's eyes turned from their natural brown to the orange and green of Yubel's for a moment as he said, "Go ahead. I dare you."

This probably wasn't the smartest thing Judai had ever done, but he wasn't in the mood to think before he acted.

"O-okay." Kanda pulled out his phone to call for help. "I-is this the police!? Help! There's a guy on Duel Academy Island threatening me and my girlfriend!"

"I'm not threatening anyone!" Judai protested.

"_Except him,"_ Yubel amended.

"Hurry!" Kanda said, gripping Judai's arm tighter. "H-he's dangerous!"

"Really, Kanda?" Judai sighed. Then, in a low growl, his eyes turning the yellow of Haou's eyes, he added, "Let go, or I will be."

Kanda screamed. _D-don't be a-afraid! S-stay calm until help arrives! I-it's going to be okay,_ he told himself, glad that the police were contacting the Disciplinary Action Squad, which was essentially campus police.

Asuka, still lost in another world, still hadn't noticed what was going on between the two men behind her. _Judai. Four years ago, you left without saying goodbye. You went out into the world and followed your dreams. I did the same. Was it wrong of me? Should I have gone with you instead? I wonder what my brother would say... Perhaps it's time I ask him._

Her goal in mind—and the trouble still unnoticed—she got up to leave. _I just hope he doesn't give me _his_ personal choice._ She started to walk off.

"Asuka, wait!" Judai called after her. He would have followed if Kanda wasn't holding him back.

"Oh, no, you don't! You're not laying another finger on her!" he said.

Judai was about to knock the guy's light out when the Disciplinary Action Squad arrived, ready to take him in until the police arrived.

"Oh, come off it!" Judai said, exasperated. "I just want to talk to her! It's not my fault she's acting like I don't exist!" Grumbling, he amended, "Okay, maybe it is, but still."

The Disciplinary Action Squad held onto Judai until the police arrived, at which point he was placed into their custody.

* * *

Meanwhile, Asuka had told the principal that she had to leave for awhile. Cronos, who had taken over after Samejima had left, had been understanding enough and allowed her to take a temporary leave of absence—if she wasn't back in time to teach her class on Monday, he would take over for her.

In Domino City, Asuka wasn't surprised when she found Fubuki—only annoyed. Fubuki had a flock of girls around him and was showing off with his typical "what do you see" routine.

"Give me a break, big brother," she sighed.

"What can I say, sissy," Fubuki said. "Wait a minute, ASUKA!?" He did a double take. "Uh, ladies, can you give us a moment?"

His fan club walked away as Asuka, shaking her head, said, "Honestly, I come looking for advice, and _this_ is what I find? The 'Blizzard Prince' and his fan girls?"

"Well, you can't expect all of us to sulk over the loss of one certain person we never confessed to. I'm learning from example and not letting that happen to me," Fubuki defended. "Speaking of said someone, he was looking for you."

_So that really was Judai._ This caught her by surprise as she thought back to the things she had said to him back at Duel Academy, thinking that he was a hallucination. _Oh, boy. I _hope_ it wasn't really him..._

Shaking herself from her thoughts, she said, "Yeah, okay..."

"So, what's on your mind, little sis?"

"Well, four years ago, Judai and I went our separate ways to chase our dreams. At first, I thought it was the right choice, but lately, I've been thinking that I'd have been happier if I had gone with him. Was my decision really the wrong one? Or would I miss my dreams as much as I miss him?"

Fubuki thought about it for a moment, realizing that it _had_ to be serious if Asuka was coming to _him_ for relationship advice. After all, she hated when he gave people love advice, claiming he was an idiot.

"I can't say for sure, Asuka. I mean, it depends on what means more to you, your dreams or your relationship with Judai," he finally said. "I'll tell you this, though." He winked as he continued, "I think Judai's wondering the same thing right now. He was in such a hurry to find you once he heard what's been going on lately. It was cute, really."

"Big brother..."

"Listen, Asuka," Fubuki concluded. "This is the best advice I can give you—listen to your heart! Then you'll never go wrong."

"Thank you, big brother," Asuka said, smiling at her older sibling. "I think I know what to do now."

Suddenly, Fubuki's manager came out of nowhere. Fubuki had gotten into acting, and he was a huge star. Therefore, he had a manager to keep track of everything going on in his life (except his love life—no one could keep up with that).

"Fubuki! There you are! Did you forget? You're releasing your book today! _The True Face of the Heart_!?" his manager screamed. "The ceremony's about to start! We have to go now!"

Seeing his purple-faced manager, Fubuki figured he should get going. Running off, he called, "Good luck, sis!"

Asuka shook her head. _He just picked up Judai's old habit... Judai..._

She knew what she had to do now—it was just a matter of actually _doing_ it.

**Ah, Judai's been arrested! And Asuka's going to Fubuki for love advice! What's the world coming to!? Anyway, review please! Let us know what you think!**


	5. Passing the Test

**Well, there's the beginnings of a duel in this chapter. Shadgirl2 is way better at this sort of thing than me, but she didn't help me write the actual duel. She just said, "Hey, let's put a duel in here! You write it, and call me if you have any questions about it!" Yeah, that's really what she said... Oh, well. Enjoy! We don't own Yugioh GX.**

Judai had been in a lot of uncomfortable situations: about to be expelled for going to the abandoned dorm, dueling in an active volcano, lost on Duel Academy Island, and trapped in alternate universes where everyone and everything wanted him dead. But this had to be the worst—sitting in an interrogation room at the police department because he had "attacked" his friend.

"It wasn't an attack," Judai said calmly when asked why he had attacked her. "I was just trying to talk to her. We were friends in high school." Really, how had this been blown so far out of proportion?

"Oh, really?" the police officer said, sounding skeptical. "Then why would you grab her arm in such a violent manner!? Why did you threaten that young man!? Can you answer that!?"

Judai got the feeling he was dealing with one of those "bad cops," the ones that were less likely to actually hear him out and more likely to brand him a trouble-maker just for being in their custody, guilty or not.

"I wasn't being violent with her!" Judai protested. "I would never hurt her! And I didn't threaten Kanda. The only thing I'm likely to do is challenge him to a game of Duel Monsters. I wasn't going to hurt anyone!"

Judai's suspicions about the kind of cop he got stuck with were confirmed by his next words: "Well, you can tell your story to the judge, then!"

Groaning, Judai thought, _Well, this is great. This is just perfect! Getting arrested was definitely on my list of things to do today._ Sarcasm was present.

"_Next time I see that nerd,"_ Yubel said, sounding angry, _"he's getting Nightmare Pain."_

* * *

Asuka was heading back to Domino Pier, planning on going back to Duel Academy, finding Judai, and talking to him. However, just as she arrived at the pier, a Manjoume Group helicopter landed. Sho, Kenzan, and Manjoume hopped out and started running.

"Hey, you three!" Asuka called. "Just where do you think you're going!?"

After all, she was looking for Judai, and they were likely to know where he was.

Fast-talk was never Asuka's best language, which is why it took her a moment to understand when Sho said, "HiAsukanotimetotalkaniki'sbeenarrested!"

"What!?" she asked when she finally translated that. She was running alongside the boys as they headed, apparently, to the police station.

"That idiot!" said a very frustrated Manjoume. "Just what was he thinking!?"

"He was thinking that he needed to talk to Asuka! Although, if I'd known the crazy quiz duelist was her date, I'd have called Fubuki and told him she's gone totally insane."

Deciding to ignore this rude comment, Asuka asked, "Can you take me to him!?"

The boys stopped, staring at Asuka for a moment before Sho nodded and ran off. The others quickly followed.

_Judai,_ Asuka thought. _If what everyone said is true and you _have_ come back, now's your chance to prove it!_

* * *

The receptionist flipped through her magazine absentmindedly. It was fairly quiet today. That is, it _was_ fairly quiet.

BAM!

Looking up, the receptionist saw that a small blunette had just crashed into the desk.

Completely baffled, she asked, "Uh, can I help you?"

A muscular young man came running in behind him. "Marufuji-senpai! Are you all right!?" he asked, kneeling down beside the blunette.

The blunette shook his head to clear it before saying, "Kenzan, Aniki's in jail! What do you think!?"

A blond woman came up to the desk, completely ignoring the two men on the floor. "We're here to see Judai Yuki! I'm the woman he attacked."

The receptionist said, "Well, visiting hours are now, but only one person at a time."

Manjoume muttered, "Maybe I should bail the idiot out..."

"That won't be necessary," Asuka said to her friend. "Leave this to me!"

Asuka was determined to go in and see Judai. But first, she had an unusual request... Looking at the receptionist, she said, "Excuse me, I want to ask you something..."

* * *

Meanwhile, Judai was coming to terms with the fact that he was officially a jail bird. Lying on the bed in his cell, he compared this jail to the Red Dorm back at Duel Academy.

_Peeling paint, rats, holes in the walls... Yeah, I feel right at home, actually._

With a sigh, Yubel said, _"Only you, Judai."_

* * *

Asuka's request had been honored. Over her shoulder, she carried a bag that contained the keys to her plan. As the police officer escorted her to the gym, he turned to her and said, "You're one brave woman. Normally, no one ever wants to see their attackers."

With a shrug, Asuka said, "Well, I'm a duelist. I'm not going to just sit around while that scoundrel rots in prison! I have to pay him back with a duel!"

The officer was a bit scared himself, suddenly feeling sorry for that man. "Well, miss, usually we don't do it that way, but I suppose if it will put your mind at ease."

He let her into the gym and said, "Wait here. I'll go get him. Just, go easy on him, okay? I don't want to have to bury his dead body."

Asuka smirked at the comment. "Don't worry; I won't kill him."

A few minutes later, the officer returned, letting Judai into the room. "I'll be standing right outside if you need anything, miss." He glared at Judai and said, "Don't try anything, you hear me!?" With that, he shut the door, leaving the two alone.

Judai stared at the blond woman, dumbfounded.

"What, you run away from me when I try to talk to you, saying I'm a figment of your imagination, then you hunt the 'figment' down in jail? Hasn't your boyfriend done enough to get rid of me, Asuka Tenjoin?"

Crossing her arms, Asuka asked, "So, you still believe you're the real Judai?"

With a shrug, Judai said, "Either that, or my whole life's been a lie and my parents are in for a real shock."

That sounded like him, but Asuka still had to make sure. She had devised a small test to do this. "Then answer these questions honestly." Holding up a finger, she said, "First question: What is a fiance?"

Judai pouted. "Oh, come on! That's not even fair! Can someone get me a dictionary? I never did get an answer when I asked that one."

One point for Judai.

"Second question: Why did The Boy steal my scarf?"

"He liked you, didn't he?" Judai hadn't quite understood the reasoning at the time, but it was beginning to make sense now. Come to think of it, he was a little jealous. He was Asuka's fiance! Whatever that meant. Which reminded him of something. "Hey, wait a sec, I never answered the first question."

Two points for Judai.

"Third question: What happened to Titan the second time we saw him?"

"Uh, well, he played a shadow game with you, so he lost his soul, right?" Muttering, he added, "There's a guy who should've been arrested..."

Three points for Judai.

"Where is Daichi Misawa?"

Without hesitation, he said, "He's in Dark World, with Tania, trying to improve the living situation there. I think he's probably married to her by now..."

Four points for Judai.

_He answered all of them correctly without me telling him what to say,_ Asuka thought. _But there's only one way to make absolutely sure._ The fifth point of her five-point interrogation—the final part was the most important.

"Okay, 'Judai'," Asuka said. "Since I was one of your victims, I guess I can drop the charges and convince Kane to as well."

Judai blinked. "Kane? You mean Kanda, right?"

"That's right. But there's a catch."

Judai blinked again, waiting for her to go on.

"Duel me. If you win, I'll drop the charges and believe you." Silently, she added, _Only Judai duels like Judai. If it really is him, this will prove it!_

Judai heaved a sigh. "You still don't believe me. Even though I just casually talked about my friend being in another dimension married to an Amazon shape-shifter." His frustration was clear in his tone. "Fine, Asuka, I'll duel you! Somebody's gotta slap some sense into you!"

"_Poor choice of words, considering you were arrested for 'attacking' her,"_ Yubel muttered.

When Yubel mentioned the whole "arrested" thing, Judai blinked, suddenly remembering something. "There's just one problem that I just remembered: I'm in jail. All my stuff was confiscated. I don't have my deck."

"Oh, really?" Asuka asked, opening the bag slung over her shoulder. She reached in and pulled out a Slifer duel disk and a black deck box.

Judai just stared, mouth agape. "You were planning this from the start, weren't you?" he asked finally.

Asuka just laughed, tossing the duel disk to him and preparing her own. "You ready?" she asked.

Fitting his duel disk onto his arm and inserting his deck into the disk, Judai looked at the cards, thinking,_ Help me out here, guys. _Looking back at Asuka, he said, "Yeah, I'm ready, Asuka!"

Judai: 4000  
Asuka: 4000

"Since I'm the one who was attacked, I'll go first!" Asuka said, drawing a card. "I summon Cyber Tutu in attack mode! (Atk 1000) Then, I play one card face down and end my turn."

"It's my turn, then. Draw!" Judai looked at his hand for a moment before pulling a card from his hand. "I activate Polymerization to fuse the Elemental Heroes Avian and Burstinatrix in my hand to summon my favorite Hero, Flame Wingman!" (Atk 2100)

"Flame Wingman, huh?" Asuka said, not impressed.

"Yeah! And, I'm guessing that face down card of yours is Doble Passe, seeing as how you use that almost every time I duel you! But, seeing as how I get to deal you damage either way, I attack! Flame Wingman attacks Cyber Tutu!"

"Well, you guessed right! I activate my face down card, Doble Passe! This turns your Flame Wingman's attack into a direct attack on me! And, in exchange, Cyber Tutu gets to attack you directly!"

Judai: 3000  
Asuka: 1900

Judai grinned. "Not bad, Asuka. But I was ready for that trap this time. De-Fusion!"

"What!?"

"I undo Flame Wingman's fusion and summon Burstinatrix (Atk 1200) and Avian (Atk 1000) in attack mode! And, since it's still the battle phase, Burstinatrix attacks Cyber Tutu!"

The flaming female hero attacked the cyber ballerina, destroying her and reducing Asuka's life points by another 200.

"Now, Avian can attack you directly!"

Judai: 3000  
Asuka: 700

_This duel is intense!_ Asuka thought. _It's only the first turn, but I'm already down to less than 1000 life points! It _has_ to be Judai! Only he could possibly be this good!_

Five points for Judai.

Asuka looked up, smiling. "So, Judai. It really _is_ you. After all this time." She was fighting back the tears—she still had some pride she wanted to defend.

Judai just stared at her for a moment. "I've been saying that this whole time, Asuka," he said finally. "What gave it away?" There was a hint of sarcasm in his question.

Asuka closed her eyes. "Judai. All this time, it was you. I knew it, but I couldn't believe it." She opened her eyes and looked at him. "Until I saw the way you were dueling! Only the real Judai duels like this!"

Judai grinned and said, "Good to know a fake Judai would know what Misawa's up to these days, even though you probably don't even know that." His expression more serious, Judai said, "Asuka, I'm sorry. Really, I am."

"Well, real or fake, I'm not going easy on you, so you better win this duel!" Asuka said.

"Asuka, I don't plan on losing, but let's just have a fun duel, 'kay?" he said with a grin.

If Asuka had still had doubts, they would all have been washed away with that simple statement—only Judai would still be having fun in a duel with his freedom on the line.

"Just like old times, huh?" Asuka asked, still smiling.

Judai laughed. "Yeah," he said. "Dueling for my freedom, just like that first time, when you were going to have me and Sho expelled if I lost."

Asuka laughed, remembering that time. "Well, Judai, like that time, you'd better not lose. For your sake."

"Yeah, no kidding. I play one card face down and end my turn."

Asuka smiled. This was the real Judai; she was in for quite the match. But she wasn't going to lose easily—he may have caught her off-guard with that last move of his, but it wouldn't happen again, she promised herself.

**Review please!**


	6. From Jailbird to Lovebirds

**Okay, last chapter. Shadgirl2 didn't help with the duel because she said I needed all the practice writing duels that I can get. Boo, Shadgirl2. Anyway, she did help with the rest of this. Shadgirl2, since you haven't seen the duel yet, let me know how I did (in a review, of course). Enjoy! We don't own Yugioh GX.**

"It's my turn! Draw!" Asuka took a moment to examine her situation—no cards on the field, 700 life points left, and Judai had Avian and Burstinatrix on the field, plus one face down card. _No doubt that set card is meant to counter any attacks I wage this turn._

"I activate Polymerization to fuse my Etoile Cyber and Blade Skater to summon Cyber Blader!" (Atk 2100)

A female monster with red and blue skin and long blue hair materialized on Asuka's field.

"That monster again, huh?" Judai said, smiling. "Haven't seen her in awhile."

"Well, she hasn't seen you in awhile either," Asuka answered. "And she's ready to catch up! You remember her effect, don't you? If you have two monsters, her attack is doubled. (Atk 4200) So, Cyber Blader, attack his Elemental Hero Avian!"

"You activated my trap, Hero Barrier! This negates one of your attacks as long as there's a face-up Elemental Hero on my field!"

"I set one card face down and end my turn."

"My turn! Draw! I activate Pot of Greed, which let's me draw two cards." Looking over his hand cards, Judai smiled—this might work. "I sacrifice Avian and Burstinatrix to summon Elemental Hero Bladedge! (Atk 2600) With only one monster on my field, your Cyber Blader's attack goes back down to 2100!"

"But she can't be destroyed in battle if you control only one monster," Asuka pointed out.

"Yeah, I know. But you still take damage. Bladedge attacks your Cyber Blader!"

"Not so fast, Judai! I activate Hallowed Life Barrier! By discarding one card from my hand, I negate the damage," she said, sending the last card in her hand to the graveyard.

Judai grinned. "Just what I'd expect from you, Asuka. I end my turn."

Asuka drew her card, taking a quick look at it before saying, "I activate Pot of Greed!" Drawing two more cards, she said, "Now, I activate Machine Angel Ritual! I'll sacrifice my Cyber Blader to summon Cyber Angel Idaten!" (Atk 1600)

Judai blinked. "Uh, Asuka? That has less attack points than Bladedge."

"I know, Judai. But she has a special ability. When I summon her, I get to add a Spell card from my graveyard to my hand, and I choose Ritual Weapon!"

"So that's the card you sent to the graveyard when you activated Hallowed Life Barrier."

"Right. Now, I'll equip my Ritual Weapon to Idaten, raising her attack and defense by 1500! (Atk 3100) Now, Cyber Angel Idaten, attack Bladedge!"

Judai: 2500  
Asuka: 700

"That ends my turn."

"Okay, then. It's my move!" Judai drew his card. "I summon Elemental Hero Bubbleman in attack mode! (800) When he's the only card I control, I get to draw two more cards! Next, I activate Metamorphosis! So, I'll sacrifice Bubbleman to summon Neo Bubbleman! (Atk 800) Then I equip him with Bubble Blaster! This raises my monster's attack by 800." (Atk 1600)

"It still can't beat my Idaten," Asuka said.

Judai grinned. "Yeah, but I'm going to go for it anyway! Neo Bubbleman, attack her Cyber Angel Idaten!"

"What!?"

The Hero fired his weapon at Idaten, dealing no damage whatsoever. Instead, the blaster he had was destroyed.

"Judai, I know that Bubble Blaster prevents you from taking any damage and keeps your monster from being destroyed, but what are you going for here?"

"You forgot about Neo Bubbleman's effect, didn't you? When he battles a monster, that monster is destroyed after damage calculation!"

Asuka's eyes widened—she _had_ forgotten about that! Because of that effect, Idaten was destroyed, even though nobody took any battle damage from the exchange.

"I think I'll leave it at that. It's your turn, Asuka," Judai said.

"Draw." She glanced at her hand, then said, "I summon Cyber Gymnast in defense mode. (1800) That ends my turn."

"Back to me, then," Judai said, drawing his card. "I activate Miracle Fusion! This lets me fuse monsters on my field or in my graveyard by removing them from play. So, I'll remove Avian and Bubbleman to summon Elemental Hero Mariner!" (Atk 1400)

"It's attack is lower than my monster's defense," Asuka protested.

"Right again, Asuka! But Mariner has a special ability," Judai said, holding up the last card in his hand tauntingly. "So, I set one card face down. When I have a face-down, Mariner can attack directly! So, I think this duel's over! Mariner, attack Asuka's life points!"

Judai: 2500  
Asuka: 0

Striking his signature pose, Judai said, "Gotcha! That was a fun duel, Asuka!"

"_Bad pose, considering..." _Yubel was, of course, referring to the finger gun pointing at the girl he had been arrested for assaulting.

_Oh, be quiet,_ Judai told her.

"Judai, that reminds me," Asuka said, giggling a little. "Do you still want to know what a fiance is? You know, that prize you won way back then?"

Glad that somebody was finally going to answer him, he said, "Actually, yeah, I do. What was I dueling that guy for anyway?"

Asuka smiled evilly, knowing how Judai would react to her answer. "Marriage."

Judai stared at her for a moment, his expression blank, and Asuka wondered for a moment if he even knew what _that_ meant. Then, his eyes widened, his jaw dropped—he looked about as shocked as when Rei had suddenly fallen for him instead of the Kaiser.

"W-what!?" he exclaimed. _So I won her hand in marriage!? Oh, man, no _wonder_ she was so ticked off about me accepting that duel!_

"A fiance is the person who you're going to marry, either by choice or through an arranged marriage. Judai, by accepting that duel, you fought for _me._ Kind of like what Misawa and Tania did when they dueled. You chose to be with me forever if you won."

Figuring that she wasn't too upset about this anymore, he asked, "Doesn't that kinda mean you're cheating on me, dating Kanda?"

Smiling, Asuka said, "Well, no, since you _did_ leave me. You technically broke it off then. I mean, I never thought I'd see you again, let alone marry you." She paused for a moment before saying, "Okay, Judai. A deal's a deal. I'll drop the charges and call Kado and ask him to as well."

"Great. And, if he won't, can you ask Manjoume to bail me out? He'll do anything you ask."

"Don't worry. I think he was planning on it!"

Judai looked mildly stunned for a moment before grinning and saying, "Right, he still wants to duel me!"

Asuka laughed. "Typical Manjoume! I bet he wouldn't bail you out if you needed it unless you did duel him, too!"

Judai joined in her laughter. "Yeah, probably not," he said, calming down. "He wouldn't take me to Duel Academy unless I dueled him...until I brought you into it."

"Okay," Asuka said, trying to stop laughing. "I'll go call this crazy thing off. Just hold on a little longer, okay?"

"Okay. Don't worry about me. It's actually not so bad here."

"_Again, only you..."_

Asuka laughed again before going to inform the guard that they were through with their duel. Judai was taken back to his cell while Asuka called Kanda and asked him to drop the charges.

"He just wanted to talk, okay?" she said. "Honestly, with how I'd been treating him, I can't say I blame him at all for getting that frustrated."

"Well, if it's okay with you, then I guess I can let it slide," Kanda said.

* * *

Judai was just lying on his bed when the officer came. "Judai Yuki, you're free to go. They're not pressing charges."

Even though he was free from police custody, he still couldn't leave the station—Manjoume was blocking the way, looking furious.

"Judai, you idiot! Getting arrested for attacking Tenjoin-kun, worrying us all to death... I won't forgive you!" he said. "You're gonna pay up through a duel!"

Judai sighed, knowing this was just his latest excuse for why they had to duel. "Okay, Manjoume, but can we take this outside? There's no room to duel in here."

"You think I don't know that!?" Manjoume said, obviously insulted. "I'm just making sure you can't run away from my challenge again! You've already done it twice! Well, this time, you aren't going anywhere until you accept it!"

"Well, I don't have anywhere else I need to be right now, and I did say I'd duel you, didn't I?"

"Then let's go, Judai! You and me! At the clock tower! Got it!?"

Judai grinned. "It's on, Manjoume!"

Before he could leave, Asuka said, "Judai, about that prize you won..."

Judai blinked, then looked at Asuka. "Huh?"

"The one back then? I...would...love to..." What was she saying!? "I-if you want to, that is! It's okay if you don't!" She was blushing furiously by this point. What was she saying, that she wanted to be a prize won in a duel? No, of course not! But, if Judai was interested, they could start dating or something.

Judai blushed. "Uh, I-er..."

"_Go ahead,"_ Yubel said. _"I'll be nice."_

"Uh, how about we just go see a movie or something later?" Judai asked, feeling rather self-conscious—he had never asked a girl out on a date before, so he wasn't sure how to do it.

"_Smooth, Judai. Real smooth."_ Yubel's sarcastic tone was not appreciated.

_Cut me some slack! _Judai told her. _This is the first time I've done this._

Asuka ignored the awkwardness of his invitation. "Sounds good to me," she said, smiling.

Judai smiled back at her.

"Oh, Aniki..." Sho and Kenzan said together.

"You think he'll be okay?" Sho asked. "This is so new to him."

"He should just stick to dueling," Manjoume said. "I bet he blows it on the first date."

Kenzan tried to have a little more faith. "It should be all right. Every time Aniki jumps head first into something new, he always gets a good result."

"I hope your right," Sho said, sounding unsure.

"Anyway, Judai!" Manjoume called. "Stop staring at Tenjoin-kun and let's go already!"

Startled, Judai said, "Oh, right!" before running off with Manjoume for their duel.

Asuka sighed. It had taken her four years, but she finally let him know how she felt, even though she hadn't actually said it yet. But, hey, they were going on their first date soon. They'd get to the rest later.

That was when she realized she didn't have any way to get in touch with him, and he hadn't said when their date was.

"Judai, wait!" Asuka called, running after him.

**Hope you enjoyed it! Oh, and for those of you who wanted a sequel to that one story, it's in the process of being written, so we'll get that going soon! For now, review! XD**


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